Letter: Brunswick neighborhood no place for trains

As a resident of Bouchard Drive in Brunswick, I wish to express strongly my opinion against the proposed Amtrak layover and maintenance facility at the vicinity of 2 Turner St. Several points must be made clear. First, the proposed 40,000-foot long, three-story facility would ruin our neighborhood. It should be placed in an area zoned for industrial and commercial use, not in a residential neighborhood. Second, the facility would create noise pollution, noxious fumes, and generally severely compromise our quality of life. Third, with a minimum of notice to those neighbors who abut the railroad tracks and no notice to those of us who live more than 200 feet from the proposed facility, the Board of Appeals granted a variance that doubled the size of any facility that could have been built. In the process, the town did not apply the provisions of its own ordinances. All of us in this now quiet neighborhood are not against the train providing new service to Brunswick. We are strongly against the construction of the proposed facility that will mainly operate during the hours of 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and be in operation every day of the year.